A new National Disability Strategy – Stage 2 consultations

This consultation has now closed.

Stage 2 Consultation Reports now released

Thank you to everyone who participated in the National Disability Strategy Stage 2 consultations from July to December 2020. A total of 237 submissions on the Position Paper were received during the consultation period.

Overall, public submissions provided positive support for the key features and changes to the National Disability Strategy (the Strategy) that were proposed in the Position Paper. The top three issues raised in submissions on the Position Paper were:

• Focus on changing community attitudes and improve awareness of disability.
• Significant calls for increased transparency and accountability.
• Engagement and involvement of people with disability.

Three consultation reports have been released, focussing on the targeted workshops, public submissions and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Engagement. The consultation reports can be viewed and are available in variety of accessible formats.

Developing a new National Disability Strategy

The National Disability Strategy 2010-2020 (the current Strategy) is Australia’s overarching framework for disability reform and sets out a ten year national plan for improving the lives for Australians with disability, their families and carers. The current Strategy is about creating a more inclusive society that enables Australians with disability to fulfil their potential as equal citizens. It is also the main way Australia implements the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The Australian Government is leading the development of a new National Disability Strategy (the new Strategy) for beyond 2020. Commonwealth, state, territory and local governments across Australia are working together in consultation with people with disability to develop the new Strategy.

Stage 1 Consultations

In 2019, around 3,000 people with disability, their families and carers, advocacy organisations, peak bodies and service providers took part in Stage 1 consultation and community engagement around Australia. Consultations included face-to-face community workshops, a public survey and an online forum, as well as targeted consultations for and led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

Stage 1 consultations asked about:

• the barriers people with disability face
• what has improved, and what has not; and
• what is important for the next national disability strategy?

Stage 2 Consultations

In 2020 the Department of Social Services undertook the second stage of consultations on the new Strategy.

We asked for your feedback on governments’ proposals for the next Strategy, as set out in the National Disability Strategy position paper. The position paper was developed in partnership with the state, territory and local governments. It takes into account what people with disability told us in the first stage of consultations on the new Strategy, as well as the findings from several major reviews and inquiries into the original Strategy.

The proposals include:

• the vision, outcome areas and guiding principles for the new Strategy
• a stronger focus on improving community attitudes
• clearly describing roles and responsibilities of governments and the community
• regular public reporting that shows whether the key outcomes for people with disability are improving
• developing targeted action plans to drive better implementation
• how people with disability can be engaged in the delivery and monitoring of the next Strategy.

The period for making submissions on the Position Paper closed on 31 October 2020.

Public submissions were also sought on an Introductory Paper about the Outcomes Framework to support the next Strategy. The period for making those submissions closed on 18 December 2020.